Chatting
by Cezille07
Summary: AU. Elena finds a virtual sanctuary...online.
1. The Transition

**Chatting**

_Cezille07_

Well, if I give you an introduction, tell you the truth about this story, you might not read it. So read it first, then check my profile for the notes.

Disclaimer: Still the same.

* * *

CHAPTER 1: The Transition

Her first day away from New York.

Looking outside her window, she can see a long street lined with quiet houses on each side, with little life on the sidewalks—no children in yards, no cars spewing carbon dioxide.

Elena sighed. She had spent her entire life in New York. Why her parents decide to move, she still hadn't asked. But her dad had a new job in the supermarket, while her mom was seeing the doctor more than once a week—becoming frequent with the birth of her siblings (sibling, with the 's', twins) drawing near.

She threw herself on the bed. Her YM was on, but none of her friends were. Not a message, not a hint of remembrance of her being far away and in total seclusion.

"Hey what's this?" she mumbled.

Someone had sent her a message.

"_Hey._"

"That's it? Who are you?" The username gave little clue as to the identity of her chatmate, but for certain it wasn't any of her friends'.

"_What's up?"_ she replied all too hastily.

"_Not much. You doing anything?"_ asked Loner07.

"_No, how 'bout you?"_

For a moment she expected a faithful reply, a sign that at least one person in the world had the patience and interest to be chatting with her. But she got nothing, not in a minute, not in an hour. Disappointed, she shut down her laptop and went downstairs to get a drink.

* * *

She was still lying down. It was 6 PM, with the boredom threatening to push her over to insanity.

"Charlie," she whispered, closing her eyes. If she could wait a little longer he was sure to come and cheer her up, as he always did except for when his parents were on a mission playing golf. "But I'm too old for an imaginary friend...."

"No you're not," a voice said.

Her eyes fluttered open. "I'm sorry." She sat up and found Charlie sitting on the far corner of her bed, looking cheery, but most importantly not offended. "I'm really sorry."

"It's okay. You need someone," he said, pocketing a pair of white gloves—he must have been on the mission as well. "Maybe it's just I'm not the one you need. You're looking for a real person who can bear with you."

_You got that right,_ she thought, rather guiltily. _All I ever wanted was at least one person...._

There was a knock on the door. "Elena, dinner will be ready in ten minutes," said Julie, her head peeking into the room.

"Okay, thanks Mom," she replied absently.

"And I hope your things are ready for school tomorrow," her mother added before leaving the room.

_Oh no, you had to remind me!_ How they got her enrolled into the nearby school baffled her as much as moving away from her old home.

* * *

The school bell had just about rung.

"Be strong, Potato! You're going to be great!" her father said as he gave her a hug.

Her mother kissed her cheek and told her, "No fighting, Elena."

_Fights? I'm too new to be fighting, and too homesick to beat people up._

And they drove away.

She ambled slowly to the main doors, tried to put off being a new student off for as long as she could. But there they were, the list of classes and students in them. There it was, the classroom she'd be stuck in for the next few months—or years, hoping her parents don't abruptly move again, unless it was back to New York.

"Hi! You must be new. I'm Mattie!" a girl about her age but in a dreadful aura, said, followed by her companion's, similar in dress and attitude, greeting, "We can help you find your way, show you who's who, who and what's cool or not, and where to go. I'm Patty, by the way!"

Elena grimaced at their superficiality. "No thanks. I already know _two_ people to avoid." She walked past them into the crowded room bearing her class name.

* * *

Every time she occupied that backmost seat off to one corner she was filled with a horrible, sickly nostalgia. But for what? All her life she never really did have many friends, spent far too much time alone. The few attempts she made at talking with a seatmate always turned out terribly awkward. She often blamed circumstance—_we're both new, we're busy with studying_—but at the end of the day she felt sorry for herself for being too shy for most time and being too aggressive at best.

"Excuse me, Elena?"

It was her teacher, Ms. Swift, reminding her to return to chaotic reality, to the humdrum of a boring, dull and dreary life.

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"Could you please introduce yourself for the class before we begin?"

Another reason why she hated being new. They took care of you for the first few days, and ignore you after they see you're getting by well on your own.

She stood up. "My name's Elena Potato."

The class erupted in ear-piercing laughter, as she expected.

Ms. Swift only managed to suppress the last few bursts of diaphragmatic loss of control to add, "Anything else?" They all waited, ready to burst into laughter again. "Anything, we'll get to know you better."

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

Elena swallowed. "I'm just a normal person!"

The class held the silence.

"Er, thank you, have a seat," Ms. Swift offered, and avoided any further eye contact with her for the rest of the day.

* * *

That night, Loner07 was online. He or she had flooded her YM with unread offline messages the night before.

"_Just typing, nothing to do as well."_

"_You like music?"_

"_Hey, you there?"_

"_LNa, if you're there please say something."_

"_Oh, sorry to bother you. I told you I had nothing to do right now, bored as hell."_

Elena smiled. So he or she did reply. She added him or her as a contact and typed a message. _"Hey there! How are you? I had a terrible day. Like always."_

She paused. Was it too personal? Did she have the right to be chatting so casually—so personally—with someone she's never met except online?

_Heck, I trust you. You're my only hope._

He or she replied faster than expected. _"Well you're not alone, then. Me, just hanging."_

For some reason she couldn't help but smile broadly. He or she was one of the few faithful people left in the world who would always be around to answer her messages, no matter how simple.


	2. The Day with only Three Events

**Chatting**

_Cezille07_

Disclaimer: For this chapter I'll mention a lot of things that aren't mine, okay? And that includes: Google, , Friendster, Freewebs, LiveJournal, DeviantArt, and Youtube.

* * *

CHAPTER 2: The Day with Only Three Events

For this day, only three significant events transpired.

She was dropped off a block earlier than usual because of the traffic, and her dad was running very late for work. She was, however, early for class, and decided to walk the rest of the way and get to know the place better.

She thought about this day, this day with only three significant events, with another dose of nostalgia potentially active in her blood. If she could try to love this day, this place...would that end all her doubting, would she be any happier? Would that really change things if she didn't resent it so much? Is it possible for her to quit thinking too much and...just let go, just have fun, and...enjoy what's happening?

Then she slipped.

She got up, scratching her head and rubbing her back. Her things lay scattered all over the sidewalk, with some random stuff reaching as far as the other side of the street.

It was David and his cronies.

"What's with your banana peel prank?! It is _not_ funny!" she yelled, willing herself to be brave and braced herself for a fist fight. She spotted them a few meters ahead. "Come back here and finish what you started!"

"I like your offer, but we don't fight with girls," called David from behind the electric post.

"Die, I tell you, DIE!" She took four long strides to where he was and punched his stomach. He doubled over in pain. Soup and Ford ran away.

"That hurts," David whimpered.

"It oughta teach you a lesson," said Elena.

"No, _I_ should teach you not to mess with _me_."

The next thing she knew, David was on top of her, raining punches on her face, her only defense being a broken hand and a badly bruised arm.

"Hey!"

They both looked up at the source of the disturbing word. It was only that...that boy from class. She didn't even know his name—unless "Zick" was really it. An odd name, but she'd heard weirder.

"You two shouldn't be fighting out here," he said.

"Good idea! To the school, then, Potato!" yelled David.

"No, that's enough," Zick said—or rather, commanded. It was just strange, Elena thought, how cool and composed he seemed in the face of danger like this.

David got off his victim, helped her up to her feet. "Sorry, Potato. See you around!" he said, after which he ran off to the school, leaving her more confused than she was injured.

"You okay?" asked Zick.

Elena was nearly startled. He was looking at her hand, but she felt he was seeing something far more, seeing _inside_ her. "Yeah," she replied.

"Can you walk?"

"I think so."

"Need help with these?" He looked around at her scattered belongings. "And I'll take you to the clinic. You can't go to class looking like that."

"No, no thanks, I'm fine, don't worry about me. You can go ahead." Well, that wasn't really the truth. For a girl who had never had too many friends, this was very flattering, a bit more than she could take. But he was very nice; if he wasn't busy, or if it wasn't too much trouble—

"We're early, and I'm not doing anything. I can accompany you," Zick offered.

_Are you reading my mind?_ she thought, but found no evident answer that was real enough.

* * *

She came home evidently very happy about the first event of this day which only had three significant events. Charlie surprised her at her bedroom door.

"You look like you had a good day," he said sarcastically.

"Bingo, you're right! I'm totally loving it." She smiled, and threw herself once again on her bed. "I thought you'd be gone again for the next few days. Aren't your parents on a 'mission' or something?" she added.

Charlie remained standing on the doorway. "There's...something important I have to tell you."

Elena looked at him. "What do you mean?"

He moved to the window and heaved a long, slow sigh. "I'm sorry Elena, if I haven't been the friend you expected. Your needs then were different in New York. You needed someone because your 'friends' always made fun of you, made you feel awkward and left out, no matter how loyal you've been. I accompanied you through every agonizing day you tried to prove yourself to them. But after the move, your needs changed. You have no more friends here, and you've realized exactly why they did this to you. You're blaming yourself for being different, because you're smarter, your mind was faster, you were in a level higher than any of them. And you can't express well to people you don't really know—"

"That's enough," interrupted Elena, annoyed that he finally put into words the very reason she didn't want to exist. But he was right, actually, she just couldn't figure out what it was until he told her in black and white. "So what are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying you're the same person in the same problem, but your needs have evolved into something I can no longer give."

"I don't understand."

Charlie walked over to the window and spoke to it. "I'm not what you need anymore. Now that we've moved here, you need someone real and tangible, someone who can truly understand what you're going through. My jokes won't cheer you up anymore. You need more than that to make you happy."

"But, Charlie, _you_ make me happy!" she pleaded.

His face was hidden in the shadows of the fading sunlight beyond the window. "When was the last time you smiled?"

Elena couldn't recall. Last month? Last year?

"Earlier today!" cried Charlie, pounding on the sill, "with that boy they call Zick."

"Are...are you jealous?"

He looked at her, looked _into_ her—like the way Zick had done this morning, on this day with only three events. Elena shuddered at the thought.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking at her feet.

"No, _I'm_ sorry. I didn't want to dramatize with you. I just had to tell you this before it's too late," answered Charlie. "I was really scared. But after all, I'm only your imaginary friend. What am I to you?!"

"I don't like where this is going. Stop it, Charlie."

"I'll see you around, then."

For a long time they merely stared at each other, basking in the oddly comforting silence that engulfed them as the last rays of sunshine vanished. Elena got up and switched on the light, but she turned around, and saw that Charlie was gone.

* * *

Imaginary Friends don't run away—or that was what she believed until now. He had been preparing her for this moment, only, she never understood what he was telling her. She hadn't expected it to be this brief, this instant. It was too fast. She didn't even say goodbye. She _doubted_ him, accused his innocence of an impossible crime.

She didn't cry when her 'friends' teased her, she didn't cry when she realized how cut off she was from everyone else, she didn't cry even after the first of her humiliating moments in her new school. But she cried now, a wreck on the warm, carpeted floor, tears streaming down her cheeks, when the sentence finally formed itself inside her head:

_Charlie left me. _

She looked up at the window, where he last stood. Through this window, where she first glimpsed Old Mill for what it really was, and where she last saw the most real friend she'd ever had for so many years, she beheld the moon smiling down in a soft, creamy light.

And just within her vision, there was her laptop case, sitting pretty on her desk.

She viciously took it out, plugged the appropriate cords where needed and turned it on. Throwing herself on the bed once again and mistaking her password twice, she placed it on her lap and opened her YM. She cursed silently at the random invites that greeted her (there was even an invite from Patty and Mattie); they were ignored as she typed a new status message, "I hate this day!"

For all the strangeness in this day with only three events, she sought Loner07, and was disappointed.

He (or she—Elena swore she was asking his or her gender next time) was offline.

"Even you?" she whispered. But the smiley face remained grey and sleeping. She sighed, set the laptop on her desk and lay back down. "I thought you were one of the faithful ones. I thought _you'd_ never leave me alone."

_BUZZ!_

The buzz shocked her to her feet. She checked the screen—there he or she was, Loner07 was online!

"_What's wrong?"_ he or she asked.

Elena smiled through her tears. _"I'm fine now. Thanks for being here,"_ she replied.

"_What happened?"_

Her mind slowed down, stopped looking for excuses or someone to blame. _"My best friend left me. But I'm glad you're here, I don't feel that alone anymore."_

Loner07 took some time to digest what she just said. Finally, he or she replied, _"I have a little sad-and-suicidal club, where I meet a lot of people and hopefully change their minds. Go take a look and join if you like."_

The next message was a hyperlink. Elena opened two windows, one for the link and another for Google. She once searched the username she used in all her accounts, LNa, there, and all her activity turned up: her random stories in , her profile on Friendster, her silly videos on Youtube, her grumblings on LiveJournal, her sketches in DeviantArt, even her very unpopular website off Freewebs. Now if Loner07 was consistent with his or her username, he might turn up as well.

She was right. First on the searches was his website, followed by his accounts on quite the same websites she was a member of.

"_You're active online!"_ she told him. A confirmed 'him', this time, according to Friendster. And he was also in Old Mill!

"_Add me everywhere."_

"_I will! You know we should meet some time."_

"_Great idea! Where? And when?"_

"_I don't know, let's talk about this."_

Elena felt thrilled, nearly as if the second event of this day, with only three events, had not occurred. The third, of this day with only three events, neatly wiped off the gloominess that had consumed her from within.

"_Hey, I wanna thank you again. You're my first friend online,"_ she typed, put in three hug smileys and hit enter.


	3. A Fourth Event

**Chatting**

_Cezille07_

Forgive the very long hiatus. I present...the third chapter of Chatting.

Disclaimer: I mention Oprah in this chapter, and that show is obviously not mine either.

* * *

CHAPTER 3: A Fourth Event

"Elena! Elenaaaaaaaa!"

That scream from downstairs could only mean one thing. "Yes, mom?" she called.

"I think...I think it's time. Get dressed and let's go to the hospital! And call your father for me!"

Elena looked back at her laptop. She was just about starting to log in to her other accounts. She sighed, and reluctantly entered, _"Sorry I have to go somewhere."_

"_It's okay. Where are you going?"_ he asked.

"_To the hospital. My mom's about to give birth."_ She felt sad. She was just about enjoying the conversation with Loner07—she seldom enjoyed conversations at all. "_I'll get right back after a few hours, if you're still around. Bye."_

She grabbed a jacket and proceeded to the street, half carrying her mother's weight.

"How lucky I am you don't stay out after school!" Julie exclaimed, huffing they went.

_Lucky for you, not for me,_ replied Elena in thought.

Meanwhile, we visit Loner07 for the first time, and find him in his house, hooked to his desktop computer and wondering if and when LNa would come back. Perchance he happened to glance out the window and see our familiar girl from school hailing a cab headed for the city with her mother who looked about to give birth.

* * *

He was surprised by this interesting twist in their story. LNa and Elena, of course! They were one and the same person! Well _that_ was stupid! How could he have not noticed that detail?

For some reason he couldn't look away from that spot where he beheld her. He found no strength to think further. Just to look, look on was all he could do. And wonder if this would change anything.

What was going to happen now?

The virtual, online world helped a lot to form this mentality that he was safe, hidden from the harsh actuality that real life provided. Cyberspace and the real world were never meant to share the same realm. In real life, you could never edit what you tell someone, take a step back and think over a reply, or respond as eloquently so they'd think you had it all, that you're enjoying your life—or at least, that you were as spontaneous in real life.

But he was nothing compared to the great reputation he carefully built. A great companion and leader. And intelligent too. No, that was the virtual world.

He would often ponder about bargaining everything he had for a few friends, say his smarts, for you can _never_ have them both. Notice the happiest people are generally never on the honor roll? Or that, geniuses always had some excuse for being 'different', for being 'weird'? Perhaps, just perhaps, if he could give anything in the world, the safety he built up for himself, or his soul for that matter, would that erase the line that trapped him in his misery? Would he acquire the things that would make him a normal person? Because, for sure, normal people didn't think about these things—heck, they don't think at all. But they _are_ 'happy' that way.

She broke that thin film of sanity, just like that.

And yet, he couldn't ward off the question.

Would she like his real self?

Would it matter to her?

Then again, why would she care?

When he mustered the courage to move again, he changed his status message, shut down the computer, and went to bed, rather distressed.

* * *

Elena wouldn't see his random grumblings until tomorrow morning, when her head is finally clear and she can go to school pretending (and successfully fooling everyone that) nothing happened to her.

But many things did, after those three most significant events; there were a lot more that occurred, though only one more would be worth mentioning. This fourth event, you might think, belonged to Loner07 for everything he uncovered by a chanced glance out the window, but in fact it was Elena's.

She was at the waiting room, waiting. The doctor made the birthing seem quick and easy, despite the amount of epidural he gave Julie. They made Elena wait outside during the seemingly endless moments when labor made her mother cry in pain. They thought she would be afraid of the blood, or the screaming, after the actual birthing began.

But it was none of that. She still wouldn't be able to take going into the room even after the twins finally took their first breaths in the world outside the womb, when sighs of relief instead of tension were escaping her parents that all in all the delivery went well.

The mystery was there. The mystery had just been born.

"Elena, don't you want to see your new siblings?"

It was Harvey. _Sure, peek into the waiting room and ask me only now, but I'm not falling for it._ "He's not my brother."

"What are you talking about? Maybe you're just anxious. For all I know you're more excited than I am!"

_You'll never understand, you don't have an imaginary friend who you thought would last you a lifetime. _"Some other time. I'm not ready yet."

"Alright, we'll be in the room."

"And I'll be here."

For the second time she wished she had an available laptop and free internet access. Not a show of addiction but rather anxiety—or fear, for the right use of the word.

But even 'fear'...sometimes didn't seem right.

_How_ was it _possible_ that her _Charlie_ became _her little brother_?

* * *

The rest of the night was a blur. She didn't remember going home, or falling asleep, or how she was suddenly sitting in the classroom again. Her object of interest Zick was sitting a few chairs from her, looking perhaps as confounded as she was—but he wasn't on her mind.

Loner07 was.

He had to know.

It was too weird to be true. Ridiculous, even. She could already imagine how painfully stupid she might sound like if she told anyone....

"_Loner! Loner! I have this...'confession' of sorts. Not that you need to know, really, but I can't keep it to myself anymore. It's been weighing on my mind and I can't bear—"_

That's enough! It was stupid and cheesy! No one talks like this, except to a psychiatrist, and he wasn't her psychiatrist. Heck, this wasn't even Oprah!

But there was just this strong urge that whispered, _tell him! Tell him!_

But what would she have gained? Nothing, really. What was the point? There was no point! It was a poor excuse to connect with someone she barely knew. He was the first person to ever pay such attention to her, to tell her something other than greetings. He was a friend, a real friend, and she wanted to trust him with even this deep secret of hers. Even if they've just met—rather, even if they've never met.

She quickened her walking pace that dismissal, nearly dashed the last ten meters left. She was going to be confident this once and be a bit extroverted somehow, unlike she had ever been. But the best past was: there'll be someone on the other end of the conversation to listen to her.

* * *

He set his hands on the keyboard. He exhaled slowly, allowing himself to relax. He had sprinted after Elena this afternoon, but she barely took notice of him. She was preoccupied by some fancy he couldn't understand, some event that had nothing to do with him.

"Elena!" _No, stop it!_ he thought, _if you try again people would think thing that aren't true._ But for the last time he called out her name, "Elena!"

She didn't hear, or pretended not to hear, as she entered the front door of her house looking utterly resigned.

And he thought she was already open to him; she liked Zick in person and seemed fascinated by Loner...on the other hand, she didn't know her classmate and her online buddy was one and the same person.

Why he was the one who had to know.

He felt slightly betrayed that she had no idea. She ought to know, or he didn't have to know—either way, what they were before this was perfect already.


	4. A Date?

**Chatting**

_Cezille07_

Inspired by different reasons, LNa and Loner07 are going to finally meet for the first time. Or maybe not the "first" time....

* * *

CHAPTER 4: A Date?

Cries met her at home. Twin cries, helpless, hungry cries. Exasperated cries from tired parents.

"No, don't add cologne to the diaper, are you crazy? Their skins are delicate!"

"How am I supposed to know? I didn't read the baby books, you did!"

"That's the problem! I had to bear them for nine months, give birth to them, now take care of them by myself?!"

"I'm trying to help you! But it looks like you don't want it anyway!"

"You're not helping at all! I recall that day...you ran around in circles before you found the delivery room, fidgeted more than me when I was giving birth, and nearly picked up the wrong babies at the nursery! You're too scared for your own good, for our children's good!"

Elena gave her parents one glance and knew they weren't going to listen to a word she said if she bothered. But she wasn't going to anyway. She made a beeline for her room with a conversation rehearsing in her mind.

She did pass the babies' room, though. It distracted her for a moment, brought back memories of her Charlie as her only friend, not as a little burden that had just been added to her already heavy load. There lay his baby clothes, assorted in color and design to differentiate between the twins. But they didn't really look alike, she pondered. Or maybe it was because she remembered every detail of Charlie's face, and no matter what he had in common with Violet, they were never going to be identical for her.

She released a long sigh, like those she saw in the movies when adults realized something deep about life. What had she learned now? To be accepting of what destiny passes on to her hands? To wait loyally for the sun to start shining when it starts to rain? No, she thought. She felt it had something to do with Charlie's departure and her meeting with Loner, both of which inspired radical changes in her life all of a sudden. What did it mean? That she was finally growing up? Or just taking a step higher? Either way, that was good, right?

She shook her head, took a seat at her desk, and turned on her laptop, but without the anticipation she had the morning she decided it was Loner who should know everything she was keeping inside. Again, what did he have that her parents didn't? That her classmates didn't? That Charlie didn't? Whatever it was, he had certainly caught her with a strong line, and though no bait was present, she didn't want to let go of the hook anyway.

For the last time she hit her forehead with her palm and whispered to her laptop, "My name is Elena Potato, and I am a normal person. I don't need this...." But deep inside she knew it was a lie. Her hands on the keyboard, she waited for the programs to finish loading at start-up, and ran Yahoo Messenger.

She saw Loner's status message, which he hadn't changed since the last time they chatted—three weeks ago. She half-wondered why it had taken her this long to muster the courage to speak up about...everything. There were times she just wanted to blurt out she was in love with him, and was willing to give anything for his sake, his happiness. But that was just plain stupid. And she had another life, albeit one she disliked as much as the thought of Charlie leaving—her 'normal' life. Would she give that up for a person she's never met, only thrilled her with a simple conversation, a few sentences? Maybe. She liked him. A lot. Even if only for those few words he had imparted, for those short moments he generously offered.

So here goes. _"Hey Loner, are you there?"_

"_Always."_

She blushed. _"Let's meet up. I hope you're not busy right now."_

"_Right now?"_

"_Now right now." _She had no idea she could kindle reactions from other people too.

"_I've been wondering when since we first met." _

'Met'? Did he just use the word 'met'? Aha! Signs that...no, they were just signs and they'll remain signs until she proved what they meant. _"You know the school?"_

"_I study there, of course." _

"_In front of the gates." _

"_Okay." _

"_So, I'll see you there!" _

* * *

She logged out faster than a car on the highway. She wasn't as thrilled as she expected herself to be when she planned this. Other than the occasional moments when she thought her heart stopped beating, she was fine. Instead of waiting right in front of the gate as agreed upon, Elena stood behind one of the trees decorating the grounds. This was her plan? Yes, to unmask her savior first. Who is behind the mysterious but welcoming friend she had so come to like?

It was mid-afternoon. Few people lingered in the school to hang out, not too many stayed even for homework. She watched as the crowd around her thinned, with no sign of Loner anywhere.

Hang on, what if he was watching her too?

* * *

As he imagined, his girl Elena was a no-show. He stood a few feet from their designated meeting place, but found her nowhere in sight. She was the one who suggested this affair, to do away with the informality, the oddness of their relation, or whatever it was that bonded them. He knew it since he laid eyes on her. She was as wary of the world as he was. And if this was true, she was probably somewhere far off having a laugh that he showed up at all.

He sighed. There went his investment on the possibly long term friendship he intended to have with her.

He set his mind on leaving. There would be a time for her to know, a time for him to tell her everything, how much a single look changed his life. And why it bothered him.

He liked her too.

In some odd, friendly kind of way.

Or maybe more.

He couldn't care less. What he cared about right now was that she wasn't there to meet him right then. She was unlike the chat-mate he found in her, at least the few times they actually 'spoke' to each other. And he was disappointed.

"For your sake, give up, please?" he thought to himself, almost pleading. For a full thirty minutes, he stood his ground, but after the half hour expired, he let the thought that she would actually like him back, go.

* * *

"Zick?"

She had to say his name aloud. It was even harder to believe this way.

She had waited the half hour too, but unlike Loner, she saw what she was looking for. So Loner was Zick. He was far closer than she thought he was. She didn't know if the revelation scared her, or made her more anxious to know about him. Maybe both. It was him?! The thin-framed, remarkably blue-haired boy who had once impressed her as Loner did, by saving her from her daily routine?

But oddly, it all fit together somehow. No, she wouldn't tell him, not just yet. Out of experience, when she told people how much they meant to her, the relationship suffered an ending less than friendly: like Charlie, like the friends who left her behind—or whom she left behind in New York. But the sanctity of this secret, she decided, was going to live on inside of her: what they had was perfect. Chat-mates, hiding in the sanctuary of the virtual world, secretly admiring the other's strengths. Who knows? Who knows....


	5. Ponderings

**Chatting**

_Cezille07_

The truth is out.

I thought the fourth was the last chapter. I was wrong, I guess. It just took me some time before I thought up something that might 'formally' close this story. So here it is, a 'real' ending, if you might call it.

Disclaimer: Super Mario and The Tell-Tale Heart are properties of their respective owners.

* * *

CHAPTER 5: Ponderings.

Why Zick had to bother her that morning!

"Hi Elena. It's nice to see David's not bothering you anymore." "Elena, have you finished today's homework?" "Elena, I was meaning to ask if you could look through my answers." "Elena, do you know—"

"Will you _please _stop for a moment?" she ended up blurting out.

Not that she didn't like the attention, really. She was thinking a lot about what everything that went on lately. And he was just about the most excellent distraction from all that.

"Sorry, then." And he left to find a different seat.

She was busy pondering over her online reputation, how it helped her, yada yada yada—she forgot she was also a part of the real world. It was just waiting for her to resurface from the deep lake of self-consciousness and fear. "Wait, Zick," she said tentatively.

Yes, he was a part of her thoughts. Zick was too sane, too average to be Loner. Loner was a wild, pessimistic person who liked people—Zick was just about the opposite: quiet, calm, as if he was hiding something. Something big, she mused. It crossed her mind that maybe she was putting up the same defences, acting strong in the virtual world to make up for what she lacked in real life. But she'd picked up enough lessons from it already; it was time to take it to the next level, kick up into high gear, and try out friendship, _real_ friendship, for once. Zick was a big part of that growth, she knew. Zick, or Loner, whoever he wanted to be. But unless he was brave enough, he'll never reap the benefits of social interaction. He'd have to be brave to face the world head on, not masked by a fancy username with an attached personality.

She knew she was brave enough, somehow. She could speak now without thinking for too long, without bothering with what negative things others might think. Nope, nope, she was going to make it through with flying colors: "Zick," she began, her palms sweating as she twiddled her thumbs. She was brave enough, she just had to try. "I'm sorry about that. Why don't we hang out later after class?"

See? That wasn't so bad. No more chatting, no more imaginary friends! Well, except that Charlie turned out to be her brother. If he would remember that somehow later on, well...she might not. _Yes, Elena, you'll grow out of it someday, but why not make that someday today?_

* * *

Afternoon. Playground.

Elena felt like she was flying in the air, until the swing dipped toward the other way and rose again. "Favorite game?"

Zick just sat still when he answered. "Super Mario."

"No way! Me too! Favorite story?"

"The Tell-Tale Heart."

"Ghosto! Favorite food?"

"Red currant jelly sandwiches."

"Vanilla-banana milkshake."

There! Real conversations! They were exhilarating. It did take some effort not to just listen and be an actual part of it, but otherwise it was wonderful. It was a start. She pushed herself higher in the air.

"Your biggest secret?" she asked absent-mindedly. She stopped the ride and looked at him. "Nah, you don't have to answer, if you don't want to."

"It's okay," he said, smiling at her. She recalled the first time their paths crossed. He had made her smile. Now he did it again. "I'll tell you, but from this moment on it'll be your biggest secret too."

"No, I have other big secrets, yours can't be that big."

"You be the judge." He sighed. "The rumors about me are true."

Elena blinked. "What rumors?"

"That...hey, you really don't know?" exclaimed Zick, disbelief etched on his face. "You're missing out on the real world."

"You don't know how true that is," she winked. "My secret is...I'm your chat-mate."

"I know."

They sat in silence for a long while. Why were the secrets coming out just like that? Did they trust each other? Was the other capable of handling the truth?

Elena closed her eyes. Maybe. Yes. "So what rumor was that?"

"I can see monsters. And Tame them."

"Well, that _is_ pretty big," she laughed. She had looked at him, and something in his eyes was just bursting how serious he was. "Seriously?"

He nodded.

"Why do you trust me?" she asked blankly.

"Why do _you_ trust _me_?" he asked in reply.

He wasn't asking about their failed meeting plan, or how she knew about him. It suddenly hit her that he already knew. Maybe he had known longer. Anyway, she wasn't planning on hiding it forever. "Because you saved me."

"I just said I'm a Tamer! Everyone thinks I'm crazy and you're still here talking to me! Why?!" he yelled, standing up.

She closed her eyes and resumed the back-and-forth rhythm of her swing. So she wasn't alone in thinking those things. "And I'll save you too," she said slowly. "I'm not planning on running away like on our meeting."

He sat back down, wordless.

"And you know," she added, "Don't care who I am. I don't care what your labels are. I wouldn't care if you weren't human either. You're special. And I'd like to keep you as my friend. My crazy, loner, Tamer friend....

"But don't try to hug me, or I'll beat you up."

**---END---**

* * *

A/N: Here's the note I've been saving for the ending. This...is _my_ story; these are my opinions. This is how chatting helped me find true friends online and in the real world. It's thanks to my friends in the forum that helped me come out of my shell, that I'm not too dependent on the internet anymore for my dose of companionship. (Poor Elena had to sit in my shoes for a while, though.)


End file.
